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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Farage to quit as leader of UKIP | Farage to quit as leader of UKIP |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Nigel Farage has said he intends to stand down as leader of the UK Independence Party to focus on gaining a seat at Westminster. | Nigel Farage has said he intends to stand down as leader of the UK Independence Party to focus on gaining a seat at Westminster. |
| Mr Farage plans to take on Commons Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham. | Mr Farage plans to take on Commons Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham. |
| He will continue to lead the party's MEPs but said leading the domestic party as well was too much. | He will continue to lead the party's MEPs but said leading the domestic party as well was too much. |
| "I've also been the leader of the domestic party for the last three years and frankly doing both of those jobs is too much for any one person," he said. | "I've also been the leader of the domestic party for the last three years and frankly doing both of those jobs is too much for any one person," he said. |
| In his three years as leader, Mr Farage has raised the profile of the party, which campaigns for Britain's exit from the EU, through numerous media appearances. | In his three years as leader, Mr Farage has raised the profile of the party, which campaigns for Britain's exit from the EU, through numerous media appearances. |
| He has also steered it to unprecedented success at the recent European elections, where it came second, beating Labour, and returned 13 MEPs. | He has also steered it to unprecedented success at the recent European elections, where it came second, beating Labour, and returned 13 MEPs. |
| 'Too big' | 'Too big' |
| But he has also faced internal dissent over his leadership style and has found running a UK-based party when he is in Brussels and Strasbourg much of the time too much of a strain. | But he has also faced internal dissent over his leadership style and has found running a UK-based party when he is in Brussels and Strasbourg much of the time too much of a strain. |
| The South East MEP will tell his party conference later that he is quitting a year before his term is up. | The South East MEP will tell his party conference later that he is quitting a year before his term is up. |
| He believes the party, which has previously struggled to make an impact in Westminster's first-past-the-post elections, could be poised to gain its first MPs at the next general election, which must happen in the next nine months. | He believes the party, which has previously struggled to make an impact in Westminster's first-past-the-post elections, could be poised to gain its first MPs at the next general election, which must happen in the next nine months. |
| I simply have not got the time to take on the responsibility of planning, running and leading a national general election campaign Nigel Farage UKIP class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8237728.stm">Analysis: Farage's decision | |
| Speaking to the BBC, Mr Farage said: "UKIP has become too big for one man to lead the political party in the [European] parliament and to lead the domestic party in this country. | Speaking to the BBC, Mr Farage said: "UKIP has become too big for one man to lead the political party in the [European] parliament and to lead the domestic party in this country. |
| "We're going in to a general election campaign, we are going to fight over 500 constituencies, and I simply have not got the time to take on the responsibility of planning, running and leading a national general election campaign." | "We're going in to a general election campaign, we are going to fight over 500 constituencies, and I simply have not got the time to take on the responsibility of planning, running and leading a national general election campaign." |
| He added: "And I'm not going to take that burden on because frankly it's too much and anyway I'm going to be busy in Buckingham taking on John Bercow." | He added: "And I'm not going to take that burden on because frankly it's too much and anyway I'm going to be busy in Buckingham taking on John Bercow." |
| BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said a new leader would manage the party, run the election strategy and formulate policies and the leadership contest was expected to get under way next week. | BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said a new leader would manage the party, run the election strategy and formulate policies and the leadership contest was expected to get under way next week. |
| On Thursday Mr Farage said he was standing in Mr Bercow's constituency because MPs "have broken the trust" of the British people and Mr Bercow "represents the worst" of the Commons. | On Thursday Mr Farage said he was standing in Mr Bercow's constituency because MPs "have broken the trust" of the British people and Mr Bercow "represents the worst" of the Commons. |
| Convention rules that Speakers stay out of party politics. Labour and the Lib Dems will not stand against Mr Bercow. | Convention rules that Speakers stay out of party politics. Labour and the Lib Dems will not stand against Mr Bercow. |